Ballot-counting apparatus



R. D. TOLMAN.

BALLOT COUNTING APPARATUS.'

APPLICATION FILED oc. I8. 1917.

Patented Oct. 21,

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QN EN s designed for use in countin ROY n. TOLMAN, or WORCESTER, Massnoiiusnms.

BALLO'r-COUNTING ArPAnATUs.

Specification of Letterslatent. v y OC. 21, 1919.

Application iledlOctober 18,V 1917. Serial No. 5197,32?.

To all 'whom t may concern.-

Be it known thatI, ROY D. TOLMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county vof Worcester, and in the Commonwealth of- Massachusetts,

have invented a new jand luseful Improvement in Ballot-Counting Apparatus.

My ballot counting apparatus has been the number Vof votes received by each candidate upon Australian ballots in blocks of 50 or less. `Its operation is well knownto those 'familiar with this type of counter whichhas been in use in certain partsof the country. My ballot counting apparatus is a very compact instrument infcomparison to others `and it comprises only two: individual sections, that ofthe clamping deviceV and the straight edge. These two sections arerlocked together whensent to the polls and when they arel not in use. The clamping device has the usual lmarkings upon*` it` .t0 l ldesignate theV proper even spacing of theiballots and means'ihas been x securedL whereby the operation of clamping the ballotsVhas-'been made very much easier and it lobviates the danger of disarranging the ballots after they .have

counter will count ballots of any thickness.

By makinga counting'apparatus ofsuch compactness one is able to count the ballots while sitting ata table, the ballots at lthe counting apparatus as assembled and ready therein. l

.for transportation to the polls start would simply lie over the edge of the tablel and 'as' the counting proceededV the clamping device would bercarried farther upon the table Vuntil the entire length ofthe ballot had been counted. kOthers features not mentioned here .will appear in' the following description andaccompanyingdrawings. Y. 4 Referring tothe :accompanying wdrawings, Figure l is a perspective view "ofmy Fig. 21s a perspectiveview -of the same after being opened toicplace thefballots FigyB isa perspective ofthev ucounting apparatus withf'the ballots clamped therein and the straightredge in position to count the crosses uponthe ballotsw; f

Fig. `4f is ndview of theballot count- 1 ing apparatus Fig.

in a position' similar to that in over: the other. base from which all counting begins, for it Ais the topmost ballot. By using the straight Y edge 14 placed under anyname at the base,

Fig. 5i isgan endview of the same but .showing'the apparatus reversed for count- Ving the reverseside of the ballot and at the same time allowing the ballots t0 lie over the properfpositionV onefto theother. AllI ballots previously having been openedand refolded'so that thel` markings or crosses are visibleA they are laid in' the recess 11, the

first being laid up to first gage mark 13 whlch isl, the second to mark number 2 Vand so on until all the ballots are placed corresponding t0 their proper marking one The last ballot forms the it will'bereadily seen that the total number of crosses or votes for that individual candidate in that block of ballots can be easily tallied and checked up by vrunning down along the straight edge 14al when in position' as shown in Fig. 3.

.1 i" The gage marks 13 are numbered every been once laid in proper ,position. This ofthe odd block of ballots at the end `where there are less than 50. i-'Iniorder tofmake .ity `possible to handle' a block of 50.ballots or less inmy apparatus, I: secure a :clamping vbar l-upon-the basezboard 10 in aposition which will always insurefits vproper relation thereto as *will be understood later. the base board l0 I securefplates 16 which have' thumb buttons 17 mounted thereon and ,which are capable of :being adjusted bythe conveXity of the platesV 16 togetherfwith the Upon 'Y screws which .pass therethrough. `The thumb buttons are so placed. as to project over-the edge of the base board 10 and on to the top Aof .the clampingbar l-but in order to insure a perfect clamping AVeffect upon the bar y15 andballots l2, I find itfbest to have wedges 18upon the clampingbar 15.

Bythis arrahgementiof clamping, `I am c'certain'of no displacementof any'of the ballots.` VAfter alllballots'fhave been placed in position ready yfor clamping, it is neces;

.-,sai'y Vto'have therbuttons .17 Aand wedgeslS" 'so positioned that they willallow the clamp- *ingbar to come uponthe ballotsY in position 'and'clamp them at once without any unnecessary moving around of the clamping bar 15 when lining u buttons. To accomplish this object I secure the clamping bar 15 to the base board 10 by hinges 19 which will allow the bar to swing upon the ballots correctly without any endwise motion and into a position always ready to be clamped.

At the same time these hinges 19 allow the bar to swing out of the way and up from the recess 11 where it is in clamped position. The hinges 19 hold the bar 15 in a raised position when ballots are being inserted for counting.

Another advantage obtained is that the clamping bar 15 will never become separated from the base board during transportation to the polls and in short you have a counter with only two separate sections, the clamping bar and straight edge 14. This is a great advantage in making sure that you have a complete outfit for counting the votes at the close of an election.

In constructing the straight edge 1&1, it is desired to make an article which could be easily handled and at the saine time placed in the apparatus so that it would not fall out and become lost. The straight edge 1l comprises a thin angle bar having its ends turned up as shown at 20so that when placed in position as in Fig. 1 between the base board 10 and clamping bar 15, it neither will be able to move lengthwise nor sidewise but will be simply clamped by the vthumb buttons 17 and ready for transportation to the polls.

After the ballots are ready to be counted and have been clamped, I find it best to slightly tilt my entire counting apparatus in order to make certain that the entire exposedsurface of the ballots come in contact with the table as near as possible. To accomplish this object, leveling plugs 21 are placed at the rear edge of the base board 10 so that they will tip the rear edge upwardly and bring the front edge nearer the table as shown in Figs. il and 5. This will make it possible to easily count the first few lines upon the ballots.

In counting the reverse side of the ballot when the apparatus is turned upon its face, as shown in Fig. 5 ordinarily without any tilting means, theballots would not lie flat and it would be hard to hold the straight edge inposition .when the ballots were not lying flat upon some base, therefore in this position especially, it is necessary to tilt the base board 10 much more'V To secure this than on the other side. extra amount of tilting, I use a tilting bar 2S in addition to the regular leveling plugs 21. Then notin use this tilting bar 23 can be locked in position along the side of the clamping bar 10 as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and thus will be out of the way until the wedges with the needed. Emery is placed upon clamping bar 15 and in recess 11 in order to insure a better gripping effect upon the ballot when clamped.

Having described my invention in full, I desire to claim by Letters Patent,

1. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a clamping device with clamping buttons, a bar with wedges held thereon and a straight edge adapted to be held therein.

:2. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a clamping device with pivoted thumb buttons, tension plates held under the buttons and a clamping bar with lwedges to be acted upon by said buttons.

3. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a clamping device with gage marks, a hinged clamping bar with wedges, thumb buttons acting upon said wedges and said hinged clamping bar so positioned as to allow the bar to be raised over and away from the gage marks and thumb buttons.

4. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a base board with a channel to receive a clamping bar, clamping mechanism and a straight edge adapted to be held between the base board and clamping bar.

5. A ballot counting apparatus having a vclamping device with a clamping bar and aV straight edge adapted to be clamped under the bar.

6. A ballot counting apparatus having a clamping device with a bar adapted to be held under tension and a straight edge having its sides turned up in angular form adapted to t around the bar.

7. A balloty counting apparatus comprising a clamping means alongthe front edge adapted to hold ballots, and lugs attached adjacent to the rear edge of the apparatus .for elevating that edge and causing the exposed surface of the ballots to lie substantially in one plane.

8. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a -clamping means having a channel along one edge for the reception of ballots and a foot mounted upon the opposite edge adapt-ed for supporting that edge in a raised position and thereby lowering the channel edge which is adapted to hold ballots, causing the exposed surface of the ballots to lie substantially in one plane.

9. A ballotcounting apparatus comprising a channeled base board with clamping means and a straight edge adapted to fit within the channel.

10. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a channeled base board having clamping means upon thel upper side of one edge thereof and made thin at the lower side of said edge, to permit the channeled portion to come into its lowest position.

11. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a base board having mounted upon one side clamping mechanism which is adjacent llO to a channel for the reception of the ballots and a foot so placed as to raise the clamping mechanism upward and bring the exposed surface of the ballots held in the channel downward. y

12. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a base board with a channel along one edge for the reception of the ballots, clamping mechanism upon one side of said edge and a beveled surface upon the other side, and lugs so placed at the rear of the clamping mechanism that the exposed surface of the ballots in the channel will lie substantially in one plane.

18. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a clamping mechanism along the front edge adapted to hold ballots and a raising means along the rear edge so laced as to raise that edge and cause the ba lots held in the clamping mechanism to lie substantially in one plane.

14. A ballot counting apparatus comprising a registration device adapted to hold ballots, thumb buttons mounted upon the registration device and a swinging clamping bar having wedges, so arranged as to allow the bar to be brought onto the registration device and cause the Wedges to come into operatilve position with said thumb.

buttons.

ROY D. IOLMAN. Witnesses C. L. TOLMAN, ETI-m1. G. TOLMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

